Study discovers 'startling' pollutant levels at World Trade Center site

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http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/249378p-2352230c.html

Study discovers 'startling' pollutant levels at World Trade Center site

Copyright © 2002 AP Online

By ANDREW BRIDGES, AP Science Writer

LOS ANGELES (February 12, 2002 9:44 a.m. EST) - Unprecedented levels of

pollutants circulated in the air over New York City following the Sept. 11

attacks, higher even than levels found in Kuwait after its oil wells were

torched during the Gulf War, a new study finds.

University scientists reported Monday that air samples taken in the weeks

after the attacks on the World Trade Center contained elevated levels of

sulfur, silicon, titanium, vanadium and nickel.

" No one has ever reported a situation like the one we see in the World Trade

Center samples, " said Cahill, a researcher at the University of

California at .

University researchers took samples of dozens of substances at a site about

a mile from ground zero between Oct. 2 and Dec. 25 in what they said was the

most thorough analysis of dust and smoke in the wake of the attack.

On Monday, they presented results culled from data collected through Oct.

31.

" What we found was startling, " Cahill said in a telephone interview. " A

large mass of very fine particles results in an extraordinary number of

particles that penetrate deep in the lungs. "

The very fine particles - smaller than .001 inches in diameter - can

contribute to serious health problems, including emphysema.

Coarser particles, which are normally settled by rain, persisted throughout

October, suggesting that fires in the rubble continued to generate noxious

dust and gases for weeks.

Since then, many rescue workers and New Yorkers have complained of what's

being called " World Trade Center Cough " as well as asthma and diminished

lung capacity.

The researchers stress their results should be considered in evaluating

those health problems.

Lead, most likely from the thousands of computers in the twin towers, and

mercury from the buildings' wiring, also were detected, but in lower

concentrations. Very little asbestos, a major health hazard, was found.

" There is some good news, " Cahill said.

Outdoor pollution may have diminished since Sept. 11, but indoor levels may

persist, Cahill said. Researchers recommend indoor spaces be carefully

cleaned, avoiding the use of vacuum cleaners, which can stir up dust after

it has settled.

A week after the attack, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

Christie Whitman reassured residents the " air is safe to breathe. "

At a state Senate subcommittee hearing Monday in New York, legislators

alleged that Whitman misled the public about the risks of breathing the

contaminated air.

Some of the research by the California research group has been made public.

Scientists, however, were not invited to testify before the subcommittee on

Clean Air, Wetlands and Climate Change.

Some 1,300 people gave notice this month that they may sue the city for a

total of $7.18 billion, claiming injuries or damage caused by the alleged

negligence of the city during the recovery and cleanup.